


It Started With Pet Names

by narutoniue



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - School, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 16:30:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17410328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narutoniue/pseuds/narutoniue
Summary: Grad School AU. Gladion is in his second year when he meets a ridiculously optimistic first year student named Moon.





	It Started With Pet Names

Gladion was sitting in front of the lab computer, working on figures for his upcoming presentation at student seminar. The immunofluorescence images he has weren't the best, but they certainly showed what he wanted to prove. It was just a matter of making his presentation in a manner that proved his overall hypothesis.

As he stared at the computer screen, he heard a knock at the door. He looked up to see a dark haired girl with grey eyes leaning against the door, smiling.

"Can I help you?" Gladion asked, clearly annoyed by the interruption.

"You're Gladion, right?" The girl asked, looking amused.

"Yes?" Gladion's eyes suggested she quickly get to the point of the visit.

The girl's eyes wandered to the cell phone on the desk next the computer Gladion was working on. "Is this your phone?"

Gladion nodded. "Why-" Before he could even get his question out, the girl grabbed his phone and started typing in. "What are you-"

The girl smiled, and continued to type on his phone. After putting the cell phone back down, she smiled. "Now you have my number. So if we have a get together, I'll let you know." She gave him a knowing glance before leaving. 

Gladion stood up and looked out the door to see he walking down the hall. Frowning, he want back inside to look at his cell phone. He saw the girl sent a text to presumably her number. A few seconds later, another message popped up. _It was nice to meet you._ Gladion glanced at the name linked to the number. Moon. He rolled his eyes, and put his cell phone on the side before sitting down in front of his computer again to work on his presentation.

* * *

Gladion adjusted his dress shirt as he stood in front of the lecture hall. He had his presentation up on the computer, and quickly scrolled through it to make sure there were no formatting problems. He watched as the students filtered in. Of course, he recognized the students from his own year, but he didn't pay attention to the first year students. It didn't help that his PI had no room to have any first year students rotate, so he had no idea about any of the first year students.

Well, not all of them. He knew one, his sister, Lillie. She decided to enter the same grad program that Gladion did, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to pursue a PhD or MS. They moved into a two bedroom apartment, since it was cheaper than having two single bedroom apartments. He spotted her long blonde hair as she walked down the stairs. He watched her laugh, as she turned to say something to someone behind her. As she turned to enter a row of desks, he saw a medium skinned guy with hair in a high ponytail laughing as he followed her into the row. Gladion felt his eye twitch, as he saw the guy put a hand on Lillie's shoulder as they picked their seats. Gladion didn't have a brother-sister complex, but he was very protective of his sister. And he would need to better evaluate this ponytailed-guy before he was going to get anywhere close to his sister.

The students settled, and the professor made a nod to Gladion to begin. Gladion went through his presentation. He stumbled a bit on one slide, but overall he though it went smoothly. He ended, and it was now time for questions from his committee members and the other students.

Dr. Kukui spoke up. "So the evidence you presented supported your hypothesis. But can you elaborate more on the overall picture of why you are interested in the mechanism?" Dr. Kukui was young, but brilliant. He had a very successful lab, despite it starting only 6 years ago.

Gladion nodded. "That is a great question, and yes, I may have not emphasized it enough in my presentation." Gladion went on to explain his reasoning for his interest in the signaling mechanism and its far reaching implication. Dr. Kukui seemed satisfied with his answer.

Another hand went up. Gladion looked over to see Moon looking at him. He forced himself not to frown, before nodding to her.

"So, Gladion, can you tell me more of what next steps would be beyond your findings, given you have the evidence to conclude your current hypothesis?" Moon smirked at him. "It seems that your focus is pretty much said and done once you get the next round of your experiments done."

Gladion's eyes narrowed. Moon was challenging him. He then noticed she was sitting next to Lillie and the ponytailed guy. They were both looking at her with amused expressions on their faces.

"Well, that is not exactly true. In fact, we could pursue studying.." Gladion went on to explain.

"But isn't that experiment proving what you already showed as part of the background?" Moon questioned.

Gladion flushed. She might be right. "Well, I do think there are other applications, if you look at it under different states of stress."

"Hmm." Moon nodded. "I suppose you are right." 

Gladion saw Dr. Kukui giving her a slight smile. _Great, she must be a favorite of his. Just wonderful._ He worked for Dr. Wicke who was considered a well-liked professor, whose research was stable, but not always groundbreaking. It was definitely a safe choice to enter her lab.

The seminar ended, and the students packed up the exit the lecture hall. Gladion turned down the computer, and picked up his stuff. He felt a tap on his shoulder to see Lillie smiling at him. "That was pretty good, brother."

Gladion half-smiled. "But not perfect," he muttered.

"Oh, I think it was pretty good." A male voice spoke up. Gladion saw the ponytailed guy behind Lillie.

"Hau," he introduced himself. "I'm a first year with Lillie. She's told me about you."

Gladion begrudgingly shook hands with Hau. "I'm sure she has." He then frowned. "Do you know that girl who was asking me questions at the end?"

"Oh, Moon?" Lillie smiled. "She's a first year like us. International student though. Came from Kanto. Super smart. Dr. Kukui is likely going to take her into his lab."

"Hmm," Gladion mused.

"Oh, Gladion, a bunch of students are getting together at Mallow's place this Friday night. You should also come." Hau announced.

"Mallow, who's that?" Gladion frowned.

"Seriously? Do you not interact with other students? She's a third year student." Hau groaned. "Apparently, she is a freaking awesome cook and get togethers at her place are always awesome. Good food and drinks."

Gladion shot a look at Hau.

"Gladion, we are all over the legal drinking age." Lillie pouted at him. "You can't say I can't have a beer or wine anymore."

Gladion folded his arms. "Fine, I'll come along, but only to keep an eye on you."

* * *

Gladion insisted on driving, since Lillie insisted on being able to drink at the party. He was never much of one for alcohol anyway, so he felt safer being the designated driver. When they got to Mallow's place, it was clear others had already arrived. Mallow's place was actually pretty spacious, but she shared it with two other roommates, Kiawe, a fourth year student, and Lana, a third year student. There were various snacks and appetizers out, and the grill outside was getting warmed up.

Hau spotted them immediately. "Lillie! Gladion! Glad you could make it."

The two made there way over to where Hau was standing. He has a beer in hand, and was near a few other students. "Lillie, can I get you anything?" Hau asked.

"I'll get it," Gladion shot daggers at Hau. He turned to Lillie. "What do you want?"

"Hmm, a cider, please," Lillie smiled. "Thanks, brother."

Gladion nodded, before heading over to the coolers. As he browsed the drinks set in the crushed ice, he felt someone bump into him. Turning around, he looked to see Moon smiling at him, holding a wine glass.

"Gladdy! You made it." She grinned.

Gladion felt a vein pop. "Gladdy?"

"Oh, c'mon, it's cute." Moon smiled, and she bumped her him into him.

Gladion rolled his eyes. "How many drinks have you already had."

Moon pouted. "This is only my second glass of wine. What are you going to have?"

"I'm not drinking." Gladion said firmly. "I'm the designated driver for Lillie."

"But you'll be fine if you have a drink now. It will wear off by the time the party ends."

"No." Gladion said flatly.

Moon put a hand on her hip. "You need to lighten up more, edgelord."

"Edgelord?" Gladion sputtered as Moon gave him a wink before sauntering off.

Gladion had a sour look on his face when he returned to where Lillie and Hau were.

"Whoa, what happened?" Hau asked, looking concerned.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Hau. That's Gladion's default look." Lillie giggled. "Did someone say something to offend you, brother?"

Lillie watched as Gladion's eyes focused on Moon, who was on the other side of the living room. A knowing smile formed on her face.

"So, why the interest in Moon?" Lillie asked.

Gladion shot her a look. "I don't have an interest in Moon."

"Hmm." Lillie hummed. "Not sure if I believe you. This is the second time you showed interest in Moon. And you're not the type to show interest in anyone. That's why you never had friends growing up."

"That's pretty lonely." Hau commented, looking serious.

"Lillie, why do you need to say such things?" Gladion groaned.

* * *

The fall semester few by quickly. Before Gladion knew it, it ended. Next week was going to be the department Christmas party, and all staff and students were asked to bring an appetizer of some sort. Gladion still hadn't decided what he would bring, but he knew Lillie was making some sort of chocolate pudding shots.

A few days later, Gladion found himself in the one classroom, holding a fruit tray. He couldn't cook, and it was just easier to bring a pre-made tray from the grocery store.

As he walked in, Moon flounced over to him. "Hey, sweetheart! Ooh, you brought a fruit tray, my favorite!"

"Sweetheart?" Gladion glared at her. 

"Why not? Pet names are cute. You can call me by some pet name as well." Moon grinned.

"How about pain-in-my-ass?" Gladion muttered.

"Oh, c'mon! You can do better than that!" Moon chided him.

Gladion rolled his eyes. "I'll be sure to work on it." He walked over the the long table to put down his fruit tray. He then looked around him to locate the drinks. He needed a soda or some water. As he poured himself some club soda, he heard a familiar giggle. He glanced up to see Lillie walking in with Hau. She had a slight blush on her cheeks, and she was walking very closely next to Hau. Gladion couldn't help but glare from the distance.

"I think you need something stronger, if you are going to last at this party," Moon commented, as she took his cup from his hands. She had a bottle of vodka in her other hand, and poured some in.

Gladion glared at her as she handed him back his cup. "I told you before, I don't drink."

Moon sighed. "One drink, this early on in the party, isn't going to hurt you." She nodded to the cup. "Drink up."

Gladion rolled his eyes, and took a long swig. He then coughed. "Arceus, how much vodka did you put in here?"

Moon shrugged. "I didn't do an exact measurement."

Gladion sighed, and downed the rest of the drink. "There, are you happy? Now, can I go back to my non-alcoholic drinks?"

"Yep!" Moon replied cheerfully. "See you around, babe."

Gladion went back to the drink table to pour more club soda for himself. He needed to dilute whatever Moon had given him. As he sipped on his drink, he made small talk with the various staff and the students he did recognize. As he walked toward Lillie and Hau, he felt a bit dizzy and uneven as he made his way to them.

"Whoa, Gladion, did you actually drink some alcohol?" Lillie asked, showing shock.

Gladion shot her a look. "Not my doing. Moon poured some vodka into my drink."

Lillie giggled. "You should eat something. You seem a bit loopy."

Gladion nodded, trying to clear his head. "You're right, I should." He walked back to the table, where there was more food out, and went to grab a plate. He threw on some vegetables and appetizers. As he went down the table, he heard Moon's laughter to his right. He glanced to see her talking with some other students. Some guy, who Gladion recognized as a first year, but didn't know his name, was conversing with Moon. It was clear they were talking about something that they had in common by the quick back and forth.

Before Gladion knew it, he found himself walking over there. "You put too much alcohol into that drink."

Moon looked surprised. "Oh, did I, sweet pea?"

"Yes, you did, Tootsie. And now I feel sick." Gladion shot back.

Moon eyes widened before she then smiled widely. "You finally used a pet name! Aww, I am so touched." She then looked closer at Gladion. "Wait, you weren't kidding when you said you are feeling sick." She then looked around before spotting a desk nearby. "C'mon, let's go over here." She gently guided Gladion over and made sure he sat down. She kneeled in front of him. "Do you feel like you are going to throw up?" 

"No, but I didn't feel good standing." Gladion replied.

"Ok, ok, why don't you just sit here for a moment to get your bearings. It will wear off. Try to eat some of this food. It will help." Moon stood up. "I'll be back to check on you."

Gladion only nodded as he sat back.

Moon headed over to Lillie and Hau. "Arceus, Lillie. You failed to warn me that your brother is such a lightweight."

"Oh, there was a period where he was a pretty good drinker. But he's stopped it for a while, so I'm not surprised he's feeling the way he is feeling." Lillie looked thoughtful. She then smiled wickedly. "Moon, have you taken an interest in my brother?"

Moon scoffed, thought her cheeks tinted slightly pink. "No. How could anyone, with how aloof he is?"

Lillie gave her a look that said she didn't believe her.

"I'm serious! He's like this model student with the model looks that looks like the actors they throw on TV to portray scientists because producers don't want to throw what real life scientists look like on TV. He's totally not for me."

"Oh, c'mon, Moon. You are cute!" Hau smiled. He failed to see Lillie's smile drop at the comment.

Moon grumbled. "Yeah, I'm so cute that I've only had one boyfriend up to this point. And that lasted a couple of weeks only."

"Why is that?" Hau asked, as he munched on some carrot sticks.

Moon shrugged. "I don't know. Some people have said that guys don't like girls that are smarter than them. I'm also pretty assertive and blunt. I've been told guys like to be the hunters."

Hau fake gagged. "Ugh, that is what a typical misogynist alpha male would say, alright."

Moon smiled. "That's why I like you, Hau."

"Hau," Lillie interrupted. "Can you make me another one of those tropical mix drinks?"

"Sure!" Hau agreed cheerfully.

After Hau was far enough, Lillie looked at Moon. Moon stared back, as the two exchanged unspoken words. Hau soon came back, and glanced back and forth between the two.

"I'm going to check on Gladion." Moon walked off.

"What was that about?" Hau asked.

"It's nothing." Lillie dismissed.

As Moon reached Gladion, she noticed he looked a bit better.

"How are you feeling?" She asked softly.

"I've been better." Gladion admitted.

Moon went to rub his back. "I'm sorry for making that drink too strong."

"I'll live." Gladion muttered.

Moon tapped on his phone in his pocket. "Text me, if you need anything."

"Sure."

After Moon wandered back into the crowd of the party, Gladion realized he didn't even flinch at Moon's contact. Usually he adversely reacted to anyone but his family touching him. It was strange. He raised his head a bit to watch Moon. Her grey eyes were full of laughter as she responded to something someone said. Someone came over to take a selfie with a group of them. Moon smiled, her cheeks slightly flushed as they all crunched in closer to fit into the picture.

Gladion sighed and looked back to his food. As soon as this feeling subsided, he was out of there.

* * *

"So when's your birthday?" Gladion glanced up to see Moon standing next to her, her back leaning against the lab bench.

This was a common occurrence. Now that Moon officially joined Dr. Kukui's lab, she was just a couple of labs down the hall from his lab. Sometimes she would drop by to chat. And sometimes, Gladion found himself visiting her, though it was mostly to complain about his labmates. They even texted each other, mostly about silly things, some meme Moon would find, or some new research paper that was interesting.

"March 15, why?"

Moon's eyes widened. "Really? It's the same as mine! We're birthday buddies."

"Huh." Gladion hummed as he continued his experiment.

"We should have a joint birthday party. Get a bunch of us together to go someplace to eat and drink. It would be fun." Moon pulled out her phone to look at her calendar. "Hmm, March 15 is a Thursday, but I think we can make it work."

"Whatever you want to do."

Moon grinned. "Yay! This will be fun. We can invite Lillie and Hau and Mallow and Lana and Sun and..."

"Sure, you plan it." Gladion agreed as he pipetted some reagent.

"Thanks, Sunshine!" Moon blew a mock kiss to him, knowing well not to disturb anyone while they were doing an experiment.

"Uh-huh, Kitten." Gladion has finally succumbed to using pet names with Moon. He wasn't sure why, but he liked that it was only something he and Moon had.

* * *

That summer, a group of students decided to visit a nearby amusement park for the day. The Grad Student Association had discounted tickets, so they decided to take advantage of it. Gladion ended up driving Moon, Lillie and Hau.

They walked around the park, and had a great time. At one point, they hit the carnie games, and Moon looked at the stuffed animals.

"You know, it would probably be much cheaper to just buy a stuffed animal from some toy shop. And it would be better quality." Gladion stated to Moon.

"But, it lacks to thrill of trying to win." Moon stuck her tongue out at him.

At the end of the day, everyone was pretty tired out. For a while, Lillie and Hau chatted in the back seat, but then grew quiet. Lillie resorted to looking out the window, and Hau was browsing his phone. Gladion glanced to his right to see Moon flat out asleep in the passengers seat. His eyes looked back at Lillie, who only smiled back at him. He glanced once again at Moon. Her face was entirely relaxed and the breeze coming from the open windows gently pushed her her across her face.

It was the first time Gladion realized how pretty Moon was.

* * *

Later that summer, there was another get together at Mallow's place. Everyone chatted per usual, though Gladion noticed Sun sticking particularly close to Moon. As the night ended, Moon mentioned how she needed a ride back to her place, since her car was in the auto shop. Sun offered to drive her home.

Not a second later, Gladion found himself speaking up. "I can drive you home. You live close to my place anyway."

Moon looked surprised but nodded. She thanked Sun, who looked slightly displeased at the development, but gave Moon a smile anyway.

The two were silent as Gladion drove her home. Lillie had a long experiment, and couldn't make the party, so she had opted out. As Gladion pulled up in front her her apartment complex, Moon turned to him. "Thanks, Gladion."

Gladion nodded.

Moon got out of the car and closed the door behind her. She waved at him as she reached the building's entrance before heading in.

Gladion sighed as he changed gears and pulled away. He thought back to when he noticed Sun sticking by Moon, when he suggested driving her home. It irked him.  
He wasn't sure why, but it bugged him. He and Moon had become good friends. And he didn't like the idea of someone else threatening what had come about the past year.

He ended up seeing Lillie once he got home. He irritation still written on his face as he took off his shoes. Lillie asked how the night went. Gladion apologized for being home a bit later than usual, explaining his need to drop Moon off at her home.

"Did you give her a good night kiss?" Lillie asked.

"What? Why would I do that?" Gladion frowned.

Lillie folded her arms. "Brother, if you don't step up to the plate, someone is going to snatch Moon away from you. Do you really want that?"

Gladion just stared back in silence. When it was clear he wasn't going to respond, Lillie just sighed and headed to her bedroom.

Gladion thought about the uneasy feeling he had seeing Sun with Moon. He thought back to how her visits to his lab made him happy. And how he enjoyed the messaging back and forth. And their use of pet names for each other.

Maybe, just maybe, he should ask Moon out.


End file.
